The Alcoholian - Williams Sonoma Packaging

Most glorious spousal unit and I were wandering through Williams-Sonoma the other day and noticed this little gem called the “Final Touch”.

We knew this because the box told us so on it faux leather colored top.

It actually made me want to touch it. And I did. Then I felt completely silly knowing I’d fallen prey to some marketing guy’s ploy to get me to pay attention to a cardboard box. A box! I am so ashamed!

In reality, I didn’t even notice the box until after I got it home. You see, they had this Final Touch displayed in its shiny twisted-glass laboratory-like glory. I’m a mad scientist at heart (this shouldn’t surprise anyone) and combining shiny along with laboratory…well, I just had to have it.

Wine aeration thingys are all the rage these days. You’ll see them everywhere in about 20 different formats. You may even get one as a gift … though not from me. I’ve resisted buying or trying any number of these devices for well over a year. But, with this one’s twisty glass drippy thingy, not to mention the inclusion of a cool decanter (we already have like six wine decanters), my inner Dr. Frankenstein won out.

And you know what? The damn thing actually works!

Here’s the Final Touch in action. Note how it evenly distributes the wine over the entire surface of the upper part of the bulb. This allows oxygen to enter the wine and entertains you at the same time! If you were high, you could even get into the swirly patterns it makes while the wine slowly meanders its way down the sides. Fascinating!

You may wonder what effect it actually had on the wine. This was a Saint Esprite 2007 Côtes Du Rhône and the tannins were a bit forward on the initial pre-aeration tasting. We tasted the wine again immediately after it cycled through the swirly thingy. The result: a considerably softer wine. Definitely a thumbs up.

Also, please notice that yummy-smelling rack of pork in the background…quiet, it’s resting.